ABSTRACT
At Imagami Spa in Yamagta Prefecture, consultations on balneal treatments and some medical researches were carried out side by side with a general survey of balneal treatments (August, 1965). Imagami Spa is located in a remote mountain and has been known as “the Spring of God”. There is only one hotel in Imagami Spa, which is open to the genenal public as soon as the snow melts away. Primitive log houses are set up when visitors come not for pleasure but only for balneal therapy. Most of the visitors are from Yamagata Prefecture of whom the aged are large in number. Of the female visitors, those who are engaged in farm work are the largest in number. The largest number of visitors come to this Spa for therapeutic treatment and convalescence, which shows clealy the nature of this Spa. The classification of diseases shows that the visitors are mostly suffering from gastro-enteropathy, neuralgia and cardiovascular diseases. Very few visitors come to this Spa under a doctor's prescription. About 90% of the visitors stay there for more than two weeks; visitors are characterized by long-term balneal tneatment. In general, the visitors tend to bathe excessively and for a long time. About 89.1% of the visitors drink hot spring, water which frequency is greater here than in any other hot spring resorts and which is a rare case in Japan. About 48.9% reported that the balneal treatment was effective and 47.8% replied that it was not clear. Bathing reaction was observed in 29.3% and comparatively large numbers of visitors complained of constipation, fatigue and dermatitis. It was found from Cornel Medical Index (CMI) that 31.3% of the total number of visitors showed characteristic of complaints of the neurotics or neurotic patients, which shows that this Spa is favored by this kind of patients. This Spa proves to be of interest when we take into account the fact that the visitor has a sort of religious faith in this Spa.
ABSTRACT
The results obtained from a survey of balneal treatment and medical researches made at Hanezawa Spa in Yamagata Prefecture are summarized as follows.<br>1) Visitors to this spa vary in age, include both sexes in equal number and are, by far, farmers.<br>2) Visitors are mostly from the local area and surrounding villages and towns, 70% of whom come to the spa for recreation and 20% for therapeutic treatment and recuperation. The figures mentioned here greatly depend upon the time this survey was made, and it is quite probable that the number of visitors for balneal treatment should always be much larger.<br>3) In this survey, short-time visitors are largest in number, coming to the spa for recreation. Long-time visitors come there for balneal treatment. Visitors are mostly those with diseases of the digestive organs and those with the skin diseases.<br>4) The larger number of visitors bathe four to five times a day and about 40% of them drink hot-spring waters. Because of the presence of a large number of short-time visitors, the effect of balneal treatment and bathing reaction could not be made clear.<br>5) Only 4.4% of visitors came there under doctor's directions.<br>6) Observation of the effect of drinking hot-spring waters on the excretion of gastric juice revealed that it has power to neutralize acid in the stomach and to control the excretion of gastic juice. Such should naturally be the case because this spa is of alkaline muriated spring.<br>7) With a view to find the effect of drinking hot-spring waters at this spa, examinations were made of renal function. The results obtained from the dilution tests show that the urinary excretion has been delayed and the power of dilution has declined. It is advisable, therefore, that visitors should see whether they are afflicted with the diseases of kidney or circulatory system before they resort to drinking hot-spring waters at this spa.
ABSTRACT
This paper deals with general survey of hot spring curative treatment at Higashine Spa, Yamagata Prefecture, and the effect of this spa on the capillary resistance and the variation in the blood pressure.<br>The results of the medical survey are summarized as follows:<br>1) Higashine Spa consists of saline weak common salt springs, in each of which chemical components are almost the same.<br>2) The visitors to this spa are inhabitants of Yamagata Prefecture, farmers being the largest in number.<br>3) Most of them (78%) are old men and women over 50 years of age, and the number of women are four times that of men.<br>4) The examination of spa visitors reveals that hypertension stands at the top. However, in most cases, the chief complaints are of rheumatic disorders in natwe and hypertension is found at the time of medical examination.<br>5) Those who bathe five times a day are the largest in number.<br>6) Those who noticed the bathing reaction are small in number. The bathing reaction may be considered as a serious thermal crisis.<br>7) Bathing in this hot spring increases the capillary resistance and lowers the blood pressure.<br>Accordingly, bathing in this spa, under a proper guidance, may be effective in the treatment of hypertension. For balneal treatment of hypertension, physicians' directions as to how and when patiens should bathe, will be necessary: unplanned bathing cannot be approved of.